Miller & Ramp lead Geneseo's Class of 2018

Friday

Madison Miller has been named valedictorian of Geneseo's Class of 2018. Classmate Sarah Ramp was named salutatorian.

Madison Miller has been named valedictorian of Geneseo’s Class of 2018. Classmate Sarah Ramp was named salutatorian.

Miller is the daughter of Chad and Holly Miller, and Ramp is the daughter of Benjamin and Kathleen Ramp.

Geneseo High School’s Class of 2018 has 213 members. It will be the school’s 147th graduating class.

“Every class has their own unique recipe, and, for this class, I’ll remember the accomplishments they made in a lot of different areas,” said GHS principal Travis Mackey, who called the class “well rounded.”

“Academically, they’re a very strong group. We’re going to be sending out a lot of well-educated kids to a variety of schools, trades and the military, and I think they’re really going to make an impact,” he said.

On the athletic field, Mackey said it was the senior leadership from members of the Class of 2018 that helped propel teams to success. “They carried on a lot of our traditions, and they had the ability to lead in a positive direction,” he noted.

The multi-year ProjectLEAF construction undertaking at the high school caused changes and disruptions during the students’ four years, but Mackey credited the teens’ adaptability.

“We had hallways cut off and construction going on in the middle of teaching, but they handled the noise and interruptions and just put their noses to the grindstone. They’re able to handle anything that comes their way and not stress out. That will be a great mark for them in the future,” said Mackey.

As a result, the Class of 2018 became the first GHS class to use new facilities — including a new concert hall and theater — at the school.

“The fine arts performances they had this year were outstanding. They really outdid themselves, especially for the spring musical, ‘The Little Mermaid.’ It was one of the top performances I’ve seen,” he said.

Graduation will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 27 in the Geneseo High School gym. Doors to the school will open at 12:30 p.m. with doors to the gym opening at 1 p.m.

Each student was given six admission tickets for graduation. The tickets are good until 1:40 p.m., after that time, it will be open seating in the gym.

Parking in the circle drive in front of the high school will be designated for handicap parking.

“We will also have seating in the theater and the ceremony will be broadcast on the screen in there,” said Mackey.

The ceremony also will be shown live on Channel 50 and on Channel 50’s website.

“People will have multiple avenues to watch the ceremony,” said Mackey.

During graduation, Miller and Ramp will each give a commencement address.

New this year, select members of the senior class will read out the names of their classmates as they cross the stage to collect their diplomas.

“I think that will be unique. It’s something we’ve not done before, but the students are excited about it,” said Mackey.

Names will be read by class president Andrew Rapps, student council president Heath Henderson as well as fellow seniors Alyson Holevoet, Anna McCoy and Kaylin Widger.

Members of the Class of 2018 selected periwinkle as their class color and the daisy as their class flower. The class bird is a penguin.

The class song is “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.

Classmates selected a quote by Leslie Knope from the TV sitcom “Parks and Recreation” for their class quote. Their selected line is, “We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third.”